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The Governor of the State of Connecticut is an elected Constitutional officer, the head of the Executive branch, and the highest state office in Connecticut.

The current Connecticut Constitution, ratified in 1965, calls for a four-year term for the governor, commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday in the January following an election. The previous constitution of 1818 originally had only a one-year term for governor; this was increased to two years in 1875, and four years in 1948. The 1875 amendment also set the start date of the term to its current date; before then, it was the first Wednesday in the May following an election.

The constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor, for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket; this provision was added in 1962. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Before the adoption of the 1965 constitution, the lieutenant governor only acted as governor.

Connecticut did not create a state constitution for itself until several decades after it became a state; until 1818, the state operated under the provisions of its colonial charter. The charter called for the election of a governor every year, but not more than once every two years, with the term commencing on the second Thursday in May.

Current officer

The 88th and current governor of Connecticut is DemocratDan Malloy, elected in the 2010 midterms.

Authority

The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor.

Requirements

All gubernatorial candidates must be at least 30 years old and a registered voter and resident of Connecticut on the day of the election (§ 5).

Election

Connecticut elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Connecticut, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Wednesday following the first Monday in the January following an election. Thus, January 12, 2011 and January 14, 2015 are inaugural days.

Vacancies

Under any circumstances where the elected governor is unable or unwilling to discharge the office, the elected lieutenant governor shall, as soon as he takes the oath of office, become the governor and hold the office until the next regularly scheduled election.

When the office of the lieutenant governor is vacant, it shall be filled the President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut State Senate.

Duties

The Governor of Connecticut responsible for upholding the Constitution and faithfully executing all laws (§ 12), is the head of Connecticut's military forces at all times other than when those forces have been called into national service (§ 8). Under § 11, he must periodically address the joint session of the legislature, with details of the current state of Connecticut's affairs and his suggestions for policy.

§ 13 gives the governor the prerogative to grant reprieves after conviction. However, Connecticut stands out for other states in that governor does not have the ability to grant pardons. Additionally, his right to grant reprieves does not extend to cases of impeachment.

Under § 15 and § 16, the governor has a veto on all bills, including appropriations, subject to a supermajority override by the legislature.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

adjourning the legislature when the body cannot agree on a time to adjourn itself, until a date he deems proper (§ 10)

requiring written reports from any and all officers of the Executive branch on any aspect of that officer's job (§ 9)

authorizing and signing all commissions given by the state of Connecticut (§ 14)

Compensation

The governor's salary is set by law. If it is raised or decreased, that change must be passed into law and does not take effect until the first election held after the law's passage.